A journey of self discovery
by Sine amore nihil est vita
Summary: Peter was created in the southern wars to act as a soldier for Maria & Charlotte is a new born who he has to kill but instead they run away together & embark upon a life changing journey.
1. Embarking upon a new beginning

**There aren't many stories about these two so i thought i would have a crack at it. Plus i won't be able to concentrate in my classes until i get this story down on paper**

**Hope you enjoy**

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**Charlotte's POV**

I heaved a heavy sigh as I leaned against my tree, whilst I gazed out at the vibrant river that was brought to life by the swarms of swimming fish. This was a complete contrast though to a mere kilometre away where the river was silent, probably in mourning and the trees were still as those woods had witnessed too much.

This place of life was my sanctuary, my place of peace from my horrific world of screams, blood and murder.

"Maria" just the name was enough to make me boil, thanks to her I was a shell of a women…not even a women more like a small part of her army of slaves.

_I'm insignificant _

Most of the new borns that had been created alongside me and the ones that came after me embraced their killer instincts, revelled in the look of fear that shone from their victims eyes and desired their blood curdling screams that still rung in my ears like a persistent bell.

I knew that I was a mere pawn that could be dispatched and easily replaced in her game of power but I couldn't see a way out of my present situation. Furthermore I was well aware that I had past my "Best before date" and would soon be dealt with. I had to think fast but unfortunately for me there was one thing that made it impossible to leave and he went by the name of Peter. One of Maria's golden boys along with Jasper, I knew it was ridiculous to be attracted to the man who was so readily trusted by Maria but he wasn't like the rest. On a few occasions I had seen his mercy and compassion which Maria was obviously unaware of as he had sworn me to secrecy and off course I willingly obliged. Why?

_Because of those Damn feelings I have for him! Which are keeping me in this hell hole._

Maybe its because he speaks to me as if I am special but I know that I'm just over analyzing.

I heaved another sigh as I heard the soft crunching of leaves as the sounds of imminent footsteps drew closer. Someone was about to intrude upon my haven. _I know what's coming and to be honest I don't care. _I let many people go who Maria wanted me to turn into newborns and I didn't care about what happened to them in particular I just didn't want those humans to share my fate.

I care about Peter… but the feelings don't seem to be mutual …_I'm tried of caring_

**Peter's POV**

I broke free of the clearing and as I spotted Charlotte my dead heart sunk like a lead bullet.

_As soon as Maria had given the order I knew immediately that I would not be able to follow it through._

"Charlotte you have passed your one year mark," I said and I was pretty sure that Jasper could feel the tension radiating from my body, I always hated this part.

However the new born didn't move, she just kept her attention on the river. Her slender frame propped up by a large oak tree as her silky, blonde hair framed her elegant features which remained passive, as if she was daydreaming.

"Do you hear me I…,"

She turned her head in my direction which allowed me to look straight into those mysterious, red eyes of hers. It was odd because I have always been subconsciously drawn to Charlotte but I'm unsure as to why she interests me so much. Charlotte then looked at Jasper, she was clearly not bothered by either of our presence or our intentions which continued to bewilder me.

"I know what you said," her angelic voice drifting towards me.

I turned my attention to Jasper whilst Charlotte returned to watch the calm ripples that graced the surface of the water. " Do you feel anything strange" I mouthed but he merely shook his head, confusion clearly etched onto his face. Then I felt it, that invisible rope that pulled me towards her. Jasper tried to grab a hold of my arm but he narrowly missed as I ventured towards Charlotte., A gentle beauty who in my opinion should have never been introduced into my world; She didn't even flinch or embrace a defensive stance as I kneeled at her side.

"I'm not scared." she said, more to herself then to me. "You have to do what you have to do." She still didn't look my way which for some reason bothered me.

I carefully studied her face but she seemed undaunted by my intense stare "I'm pretty sure you feel this way because your not happy with your way of life." This statement seemed to grab Charlotte's attention and her head snapped to the right so that she was now face to face with me and I inwardly smiled. Her forehead creased as our eyes locked. We just stared at each other which caused a slight shiver to run down my spine.

" How did you know that?" she whispered as she shuffled closer to me, her knees brushing against mine and this close proximity seemed to reek havoc on my brain and rendered me speechless.

I used my knees to move a step back, shaking my head which brought me out of the trance that she has caused. "Emm…. I know because that's how I feel… you know... that there's a better life even for the likes of us…" I stumbled, trying to find the right words.

"… and you don't know were you can find this new life but its out there somewhere." Charlotte finished for me. My eyes widened for a millisecond.

_Finally I have someone whose on the same wave length. _I was unaware that I had actually articulated my thought until I heard a peel of laughter which sounded more like an angels laugh than a newborns. This melodic sound rendered me speechless once more.

I smiled at her but when she unexpectedly returned the gesture I felt a surge of heat inside my static heart.

"Maybe we should try and find it together," I asked, slight unsure If I should have said such a thing but unable and unwilling to take it back. I watched in apprehension as her face portrayed pure shock. Charlotte was now a mere inch away from my face, she gazed at me through her thick black eyelashes.

"Err… yes I would love to actually." She breathed against my lips. Her sweet gardina musk consuming my senses. Now it was my turn to look surprised.

I scratched the back of my head. "Cool." It was a lame response but I couldn't seem to think properly. We then both turned to Jasper who motioned for us to leave, his face if my eyes weren't deceiving me then I saw a hint of a smile if only for a second.

"Thank you," Charlotte said shyly as she got to her feet and I nodded my thanks. I extended my hand to her, flexing it slightly in mid air as she just started at it but then I felt her soft hand in my more larger and rougher one.

"…..Lets go then," I looked down at her as I held her left hand some what limply, unsure of what to do. Charlotte rewarded me with another heart wrenching smile whilst she tightened her grasp and snaked her right arm around my left one. This extra contact, making my entire body tingle and this was all the reassurance that I needed.

"Jasper you'll have to meet us when you leave as well," I declared to him shaking his hand with my free one. Once the farewells were taking care of I broke into a run with Charlotte in toe.

_I wasn't alone on this journey!_

**Charlotte's POV**

Oh my GOD I am running away with PETER!

Well I suppose that god does not damn vampires after all. My running was more subconscious as all my efforts were channelled towards memorizing this pivotal moment.

When he had asked me to run away with him my first reaction was that he was joking.

Yet here I am with Peter holding my hand and leading me to a better life…


	2. Tension

**Song of the day: Spotlight - mute math**

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**Charlotte POV**

We had been running non stop for three days now, trying to create some much distance between us and Maria's camp because she most certainly would be livid when she found out. Not with me because I was just a pawn but rather Peter for he was a knight and his betrayal would not go unpunished. I tried to hold back the shiver of dread that ran through my body as I gazed up at Peter, who was leading the way. He was just such utter perfection that it both annoyed and scared me. How was it that after all this time I still had not become accustomed to it?

My eyes lingered on Peter's flawlessly shaped lips for far too long and unfortunately he decided to turn around at that point and caught me staring at him. Our crimson eyes met for a brief second before I quickly looked away. I was more than thankful that a blush was unable to rise to the surface of my cheeks. _So embarrassing!_

The night time rain had brought out the sharp smells of rotting wood and wild mint and I could practically taste the earth in the air. My legs carried me further and the only constant sound was the breaking of twigs underneath my shoes. I was slightly irritated by the fact that my senses had dulled quite considerably since I had passed my one year mark. Also speaking of things that were annoying me… Peter. We had not engaged in a proper conversation since leaving Jasper. It was obscene because we had enjoyed so many wonderful conversations since the day I had been changed so why not now.

I knew that something was bothering Peter though because whenever he got lost in his thoughts he would always come back to reality with a frown on his face. _Hmm… Does he have regrets? Has he decided that it was a bad idea after all… to run away with me_. A dark, brooding mood had settled over Peter and the most painful thing of all was that he had let go of my hand. I cannot explain how much that hurt me but I didn't have the nerve to reach out for his hand or ask him for it. Therefore I was running along side Peter silently hurt. This was defiantly not the way I had imagined things would turn out.

Suddenly Peter halted In the middle of another clearing in this never ending forest therefore so did I. There were pinecones scattered all around the muddy ground and an array of wild flowers growing around hard rocks. The trees had thinned out but they were still present. They stretched up so far into the sky that they nearly blocked the sight of the wonderful stars.

I was allowed to study Peter for a while as he scanned the surroundings. He was so much taller than myself which I only came to notice now. I couldn't help but swoon because he just looked so manly. He had a well cut body and I could literally see his muscles rippling underneath his clothes. He ran a hand through his pale blond hair that reached down to his shoulder. It was odd but as of late i had been having these strange urges to just jump him.

Peter had a roguish manner about him but at the same time he was quite debonair.

"We can rest here for an hour or two," Peter stated as he turned to face me. There was such a strong timber to his voice that it sent a shiver done my spine but not in fear…Either I was imaging it but I swear I could feel friction in the air between us.

"Oh..okay," I barely whispered. I cringed at the sound of my voice. Why did I have to sound like a bumbling teenager who was infatuated with the man standing in front of me.

…oh right that's because I was infactuated

I turned my head to the right as the sound of rushing water vibrated against my ear drum. _Ooo a bath_

Peter must have read my mind. "There's a river about a mile to the north," he told me.

I just nodded my head in appreciation. "I'll be back soon."

**Peter POV**

My eyes followed the trail of clothes that were scattered down the grassy embankment and I sucked in a breath as I spotted Charlotte's undergarments. _This is madness._ How could I even think about following her!

However every reasonable thought left my mind in a rush as I spotted Charlotte bathing in the dark, inky blue river. She was humming a soft tune as she splashed around. The only reflections came from the half moon which spilled white light across the water. I know I shouldn't be looking… really I do. After all this was not the gentlemanly thing to do and yet I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from her. On their own accord my feet began to move and I inched a little closer. I was sure that Charlotte could not see me as I was still under the shelter of the trees. She would be mortified if she knew. Leaning on the trunk of a nearby ancient tree (for support) I pushed the branches aside so that I could watch on.

Charlotte was only half submerged in the river and she had her back to me. Her supple skin was calling out to be touched. I had to reign in my desire as It welled up inside my body like a raging fire but it was hard. I wasn't known for my restraint… I practically gawked over Charlotte's slender form and her ample hips swayed invitingly as she ventured further into the river.

Charlotte was to be stuck for all eternity in the body of an eighteen year old…which was by no means a hindrance.

By now I was feeling slightly perverse. After all she was only a one year old vampire, add this to her current years and she only came to the tender age of 19. _This is criminal!_ To have such feelings for someone so young and innocent. I swallowed uncontrollably as the water lapped away at her toned stomach.

Unlike my Charlotte… _Whoa!_ My eyes bulged and I shook my head … Unlike Charlotte I had been changed at the age of 23 and there was no way in hell that I was going to add on my vampire years because that would make me old enough to be her father! But there was also another reason why Charlotte would ever contemplate being my mate…A secret that I had kept from her.

I squeezed my eyes shut but the beautiful image of Charlotte's body was now burnt to the insides of my very eyelids. God! Suddenly my body felt more like a furnace as really inappropriate yet wonderful images filtered into my mind of Charlotte naked beneath me, her hair wild and fanned across pillows. Her calling out my name in the throws of passion…I violently shook my head.

Right! I retreated back into the shadows. It's really time to go.

**Charlotte's Pov**

All I could do was sigh in content as I made my way back to the clearing. I even found myself skipping as I had just washed away three days worth of nothing but physical excursion. I felt so refreshed. However my cheery mood soon faded as I spotted Peter. He was sitting on log and was practically hammering his back with his fist.

I ran up to him and squatted his hand away. "Hey hey what are you doing?"

Peter greeted me with a grimace. "I have a sore back."

"I can help," I offered quietly and when there was no reply I quickly added. "If you want me to."

A slow smile crept across Peter's face as he gazed into my anxious eyes. "Sure I would like that," he said and with that he turned his back to me.

Even with his permission my hands faltered, like I was scared to touch him in case he rejected me. I grappled around for something to say. "Em…you must be tired from all the running and…"

"Killing newborns," Peter finished bitterly as I placed my hands onto his shoulders.

My fingers began to probe into his muscles as I massaged Peter's back. I shook my head. "No I was going to say from the running… and thinking."

I was surprised when Peter's shoulders started to shake as he chuckled. "Thanks."

My eyebrows drew together. "For what?"

Peter didn't answer, instead he groaned and this caused me to stop my ministrations. "Oh sorry am I hurting you?"

He chuckled again. "No far from it…please continue."

I did as Peter requested. "You know you should really stop worrying," I mumbled as I continued to work out the knots in his back.

Suddenly Peter shot up to his feet and I retracted my hands straight away. Oh there it goes... that pain in my heart again.

His ruby red eyes burned; They were diamond bright. Peter had his hands balled into fists and he towered over me. I took a step back.

He sighed. "You have to stop being so nice to me."

I was about to open my mouth to protest but he spoke first. "There is something I have to confess to you, " he ducked his head, "We will see how nice you are to me after."


End file.
